Palm Beach vacation house was a fine fit for London transplants

Christine Davis

Tuesday

Apr 24, 2018 at 12:01 AMApr 24, 2018 at 7:10 PM

Kelly and Patrick Lynch moved to London from New York City 15 years ago, but because they wanted their two young daughters to experience life in the United States, they decided to buy a vacation home in Palm Beach.

"Summer vacation for our girls was only six weeks, but they had longer vacations during the school year, so a home in Palm Beach allowed us to take advantage of the town’s lovely prime season and give our girls beachy holidays," Kelly explains.

That was in 2013, when they bought their five-bedroom, 6½-bath Island Colonial-style home at 231 Nightingale Trail on the North End.

"It’s a gorgeous house on a beautiful street," Kelly says.

It also came with a perk — a newly renovated community beach cabana offering neighborhood residents private beach access.

"A big plus is the beach cabana because we can have parties there," adds Kelly.

The house was built in 2009 by longtime builder Paul Wittmann of Wittmann Building Corp., and the quality of the construction appealed to the couple, she adds.

"It’s always important to know that the home’s bones are good," Kelly says. "With a back yard and pool, and coming from London, it ticked off the box as a perfect complement to the London lifestyle."

And all was well and good until recently when the Lynches — including daughters Sophia, 10, and Alexandra, 8 — have moved to the United States from London and bought a home in Greenwich, Conn. With their daughters’ vacation schedule upended, they plan to spend more time in Europe. And that means they are parting with their Palm Beach home, which has 6,768 square feet of living space, inside and out. They have listed it with Fite Group agent Paula Wittmann, who is married to the home’s builder. The house is priced at $8.25 million.

The five-bedroom, six-and-a-half-bath Island Colonial-style home at 231 Nightingale Trail on the North End is "a gorgeous house on a beautiful street, says the seller, Kelly Lynch. Kelly and her husband, Patrick, have moved to Connecticut and are selling the house, which was a vacation home for the couple and their daughters.

The house was fairly new when they bought it, so major renovations weren’t necessary. But the Lynches repainted the walls, refinished the wood floors, and opened up the wall between the family room and dining room.

"The house was impeccable," Kelly says. "I loved its style and I loved the outdoor space — the beautiful pool and loggias. We did have the property re-landscaped."

Kelly Lynch was especially smitten with the foyer of the home at 231 Nightingale Trail. "It has a double-height ceiling, and the marble is stunning, so when you walk into the house, it s very grand," she says.

The first time she toured the house, Kelly was especially smitten with the foyer.

"It has a double-height ceiling, and the marble is stunning, so when you walk into the house, it’s very grand," she says. "Throughout the house are beautiful walnut floors, and it has a great layout with an open floor plan."

The fact that it had five bedrooms also appealed to the Lynches. "Many of the houses we looked at had three or four bedrooms," Kelly recalls.

Off of the foyer and central stair hall, the guest bedroom suite and living room stand to the east, while the dining room, family room and kitchen are to the west, as well as the two-car garage. North of the stair hall is the foyer, which opens to a connecting gallery. The house has an elevator, and it is wired with a Sonos sound system.

Upstairs, the master suite, with its private loggia, is in the northwest corner. Also upstairs are three guest suites, with the northeast corner bedroom opening to a balcony. All the bathrooms are appointed in marble.

In the living room, features include a beamed ceiling, a marble fireplace mantel and French doors that access the back yard.

More French doors off of the galley and family room open to loggias. The dining room features a beamed ceiling, a chair rail and decorative molding.

In the kitchen, marble was used for the countertops and backsplashes to complement the white cabinets. The work island has pull-up seating, and the appliances are professional-grade.

"I love the cathedral ceiling in our bedroom," Kelly says. "The house has a happy vibe, and I knew immediately that it was the house for me."